Tempest of Change

by Jacie Douglass

  “Fine,” Sebastian says with an over exaggerated sigh. “Tonight is part one of “Your First Annual Birthday Extravaganza”! We’re opening the festivities by taking you to the Halloween Ball tonight and on a trip to the mainland tomorrow.”

  “The what?” I ask wrinkling my nose.

  “Come on, Sprite! The fliers have been everywhere for the last month!”

  I shrug. “Didn’t see them.”

  “I swear, Trouble, you wouldn’t notice a marching band until it was right on top of you.”

  I think about it for a minute. “That’s possible, especially if I have my headphones on.” Sebastian groans while Clayton chuckles.

  “The Halloween Ball is the best event held on the island all year!” Sebastian grins excitedly. “It starts at 7:00 tonight and goes till dawn! There will be live bands and a DJ.”

  “Mmm Okies…” I raise an eyebrow. “I don’t get it. What's the big deal?”

  “Well the Ball is the kickoff event for the town’s anniversary celebration. They take over City Hall and turn it into a Halloween wonderland complete with a stage and dance floor. There is a costume contest, Halloween games, and free food and drinks! Plus it’s open to everyone over 16. It's a huge thing, everyone attends.”

  “Just watch out for the Harvest punch,” Clayton warns, leaning forward between the seats. He flashes me a brilliant smile. “A couple of the old ladies always spike it halfway through the night.”

  Turning, I frown. “The old ladies?” I repeat skeptically, eyebrows raised.

  “Honest to God's truth,” Clayton says raising a hand to his heart. “The McCaffrey sisters like to play pranks and they hate the mayor. So they spike the punch at every event in town, knowing he’ll forget and make an ass of himself by the end of the night. Well unless his wife catches up with him first. ”

  “Wow. Who knew such a small town would harbor so much drama.” I shake my head and turn back to Sebastian.

  “And shouldn’t you have given me some kind of advance notice? Where am I supposed to get a costume this late?” Sebastian pulls into the school parking lot and shuts off the engine before turning to look at me.

  “Sprite…” He starts slowly, shaking his head. “You do remember we’ve all seen your closet? You could costume half the women in town without breaking a sweat.”

  “Like you two are fashion experts, in your jeans and tee shirts. Hey wait a minute…” I narrow my eyes and give him a death glare. “Are you insulting my taste in clothes?” The warning clear in my tone.

  “Woooh!” Sebastian pulls back and throws his hands up in surrender. “Not at all, Sprite! Your taste in clothes is just very…” He trails off, giving Clayton a panicked look.

  “Eclectic, Trouble.” Clayton jumps in to rescue him. “You’ve got a very unique and eclectic wardrobe.”

  “That’s right,” Sebastian latches on, flashing me a smile. “You have a very creative flair for fashion.”

  I look between the two of them skeptically. “Mmm Hmm. I’m sure that’s what you meant.”

  “And don’t worry; we picked up a mask for you when we got ours, so we have that covered.” Clayton reassures.

  “Alright… I’ll let you two off the hook… this time. But you better watch yourselves. Any more cracks about my clothes, and you’ll regret it.” I warn, opening the door and sliding out. I can hear Clayton and Sebastian scrambling to follow, and I resist the urge to snicker. Sebastian loops his arm around my waist as he catches up.

  “Sprite, you are the most beautiful girl on this island. You shine no matter what you wear. You’ve got nothing to worry about,”

  “Suck up,” Clayton whispers under his breath and I snort.

  “He’s ahead of you at this point, Papa Bear,” I smirk. Clayton swings in front of me, forcing us to stop walking. There really should be a law against being built like a brick wall. He folds his arms across his chest, dangerously stretching the fabric of his olive tee shirt. I can’t help but notice how good the color looks on him. If I wore it, I’d look like I was malnourished, but it looked terrific against his dark chocolate skin.

  “That’s not fair, Trouble! He started it; I was just trying to help him out with his vocabulary. He always failed those vocabulary tests.”

  “Hey!” Sebastian protests.

  “Right," I roll my eyes. “You’ve got an hour before creative writing class. Better save your expanded vocabulary for that.” Clayton pouts and I can’t help but laugh. Giants shouldn’t pout. It’s just wrong on so many levels. The warning bell rings and Clayton steps back.

  “Come on, time to get to class. You can find a way back into my good graces later.”

  ∞

  The first half of the day flies by, the entire school seems energized for tonight’s big event. By lunch time, even I’m feeling the excitement, thinking up different outfits in my head.

  The guys are unusually quiet at lunch, making me wonder what other trouble they’ve got in store, but none of them break under my subtle attempts to question them.

  After lunch, the guys head off to class while I silently plot how to get them to fess up.

  During study hall, I find Jared and Clayton at our usual table in the library. They pretend to be busy with their homework, but I catch them sneaking glances at each other and fiddling with their phones.

  “Soooo,” I finally break the silence. “Are you two going to fill me in on what’s going on?”

  Jared smirks. “Nothing going on here Pixie. You must be imagining things.”

  “Yay right,” I snark back. “You guys are practically jumping out of your skins. But whatever, don’t tell me.” I pull out my novel and ignore them in favor of finding out what happens next in my mystery book.

  The main character had just been dragged into the police station for an interrogation when coughing breaks through my concentration.

  Sebastian grins at me from across the table. Oops, guess class had ended.

  “Good book?” Ian asks, sitting next to me. How had I not noticed them joining us?

  “It’s not bad; the main character could use some common sense, but otherwise it’s interesting.” Setting the book aside, I glance around the table. “So are you guys going to fill me in on the plan for tonight?”

  “We’re taking you to the Halloween Ball,” Samil says with a shrug, his expression typically unreadable.

  “Ok, so what are you guys wearing?” I glance at his all black outfit and frown. He could go to this ball wearing what he currently has on and tell people he was a Rock Star with his exotic looks, magenta hair and facial piercings.

  “It’s a surprise, Em. You’ll have to wait and see,” Samil answers.

  OMG these guys are killing me. Well two can play this game, or would that be six? Bleh, whatever.

  “Sooo, jeans and a tee shirt with a ghost on it will work. Awesome.” I say, going back to my book. Sebastian snatches it from my hand and holds it out of my reach. “Hey! Don’t mess with a girl's book, Mister.”

  “Sprite, we already told you it’s a costume ball.”

  “Jeans and a ghost tee shirt are a costume. I’ll go as an angsty teenager,” I reply, sticking my tongue out and motioning for him to return my book.

  “It could be, but not for the Ball,” Ian jumps in. I swing my gaze to him. “It’s one of the more formal events on the island. Elaborate costumes are expected.”

  “And yet none of you thought to give me any warning.”

  “Oh, we thought about it,” Jared picks up with a smirk. “But we knew you could handle the surprise.”

  “And we took care of your mask, so you don’t even have to worry about that part.” Clayton offers with a warm smile. Samil pulls a small black box from his pack and slides it across the table. They all stare at me expectantly.

  “Go ahead, open it.” Samil says.

  Giving them a suspicious look, I pull the box closer before opening the lid. Pushing back the white tissue paper to reveal a delicate black lace half mask
trimmed with black feathers and silver crystals.

  “Wow, this is beautiful,” I murmur, looking up to catch Samil’s gaze. His hazel eyes sparkle and a satisfied smile curls his lips. “Thanks, guys; this is the nicest thing anyone’s ever given me.”

  “And you can use it to put the rest of your costume together,” Sebastian beams, bouncing in his seat.

  “I don’t know,” I reply, picking it up and turning it into the light. “This would look great with my ghost tee shirt and jeans.” Sebastian groans, laying his head on the table.

  “OMG you’re killing me, Sprite.”

  Grinning, I put the mask back in its box. “Well you’ll just have to wait and see if it’s jeans and a tee shirt or not. After all, you guys aren’t sharing your costumes with me.” They grumble but drop the subject.

  The rest of study hall passes quietly, the guys working on their homework while I finished up my mystery novel. After warning me that someone will be there to pick me up at 7pm sharp, they scatter leaving me and Sebastian to head to the car alone.

  At least Sebastian keeps his promise and lets me drive us home, although I swear his white knuckle grip on the “Oh Shit” handle is a little excessive.

  I take a look around for Mom when I get home, but apparently I have the house to myself as usual. Heading upstairs, I take the mask into my closest and set it on the dresser in the center of the room. I pull out and reject half a dozen different options before settling on an outfit.

  After grabbing a quick shower, I start on my hair. I blow it dry and then section off the rainbow colored streaks and individually curl each color. Since I’ll be wearing a mask, I decide to stick to a simple smoky eye paired with a deep wine lipstick. The timer on my phone goes off, warning me I’ve got 30 minutes left to get dressed before the guys show up. With one last glance in the mirror, I rush back to the closet and grab the outfit, then remember the lesson I’d learned the first time I’d worn a corset. Shoes first, then clothes.

  I stick with my Docs, no reason to be uncomfortable if I’m going to be dancing. Once I’ve got them laced up, I grab the dress I’d decided on. Carefully, I slip into the black satin and lace ball gown. Thankfully the designer used a side zipper, so I didn’t need to look for my Mom or wait for the guys to get here and zip me up. Over the top, I add a black on black striped under bust corset. I top it off with a matching black on black striped shrug. Checking the back in the mirror to make sure the bustle is straight, I admire the look. All that’s missing is a hat to make the difference between dark bride or rich widow. After a few minutes deliberation, I go with a black rose flower crown. With its train of black lace, dark bride it is. I grab the mask and hold it up to my face to double check the look, luckily the mask is almost a perfect match. I decide to wait till we get there and have one of the guys help me tie it on. Overall, I’m happy with what I was able to put together with no advance notice. I add gloves and a crescent moon necklace to complete the look. Maybe my closet is a wee bit on the theatrical side. Shrug, oh well.

  My phone vibrates on the dressing table and I grab it to see not only has my time run out, but a message from Samil that he’s here and let himself in.

  Mentally giving praise to the designer, as I slip my phone and ID in the hidden pocket. I grab the mask and head downstairs, watching my step to make sure I don’t trip on the long skirt.

  The heavy weight of eyes on me makes me pause halfway down. I lift my gaze to find Samil watching from the foot of the stairs.

  My breath catches in my throat at the heat in his gaze as he takes me in. His aura swirls around him in indigo and violet waves. I blink and the colors disappear.

  Straightening my shoulders, I refuse to be embarrassed as I take him in, admiring the fit of his costume. Muscular legs encased in skin tight black and brown striped pants with knee high brown leather boots with gear shaped buckles. He’d rolled up the sleeves on the white button up shirt, allowing his tattoos to peak out. And topped it with a double breasted black and brown brocade vest, complete with pocket watch chain. His magenta hair is hidden under a brown leather top hat, a pair of goggles resting on the brim.

  Shifting my gaze to his face, I admire the dark kohl rimming his eyes, making the hazel appear brighter than ever. My gaze drops to his full lips, which have curled into a satisfied grin. I can’t help but smile back, even as I feel the blush rising in my cheeks.

  “Do I pass inspection?” I finally ask, trying to break the tension that hovers between us. With a deep breath I glance away and force myself to descend the last of the stairs.

  “You look incredible, Em,” Samil replies, taking my hand. His eyes stay locked on mine, as he bows slightly and lifts my hand to his lips. Sparks of energy race over my skin and my heart pounds as soft lips brush my fingers. I can’t help the smile curling my lips.

  No, just NO. What is wrong with me? I am not going to drool on my friend.

  “You clean up rather well yourself.” I manage with a lightness I don’t quite feel. “You should dress like that more often, it suits you.” I tell him, gently pulling back my hand. He cocks his head and looks at me appraisingly.

  “You really mean that, don’t you, Em?”

  I let out a short laugh. “Of course I do,” I respond with disbelief. “I make it a habit to always say what I mean and mean what I say. Anything else would be a waste of time.”

  “Always, Em?” He says slowly, offering me his elbow. I loop arm through his and allow him to lead us to the door.

  “Always, Sammy. Athough, if I talk in my sleep, I’m not aware of it. So I take no responsibility for anything I might say then.” He barks out a short laugh, pausing to open the door.

  “Oh wait,” I say, pulling away. “I almost forgot to bring a coat.” I drop his arm and turn back to the entry closet. Opening the door, I thumb through the tightly packed jackets and coats. I’m pretty sure I hung it in here. Ahh Ha! I grab black velvet and pull it out with a triumphant smile. In a swirl of fabric, I swing the cloak around me, settling it on my shoulders and hooking the clasp. I look up to see Samil staring at me.

  I flash him an innocent look. “What?”

  “Really?” He asks, with a bemused smile. “You just happen to have a cloak in the closet?”

  “Doesn’t everyone?” I counter, joining him at the door. Samil shakes his head, and ushers me out before him. I pause on the porch to hit the lock button on the doorknob, and fumble for my phone to arm the house. Samil’s hand on my arm stops me and I glance over to see him shaking his head.

  “I took care of it,” he assures, holding up his phone.

  “Then let’s get going,” I grin. I can see Sebastian’s SUV waiting in the driveway, but there’s no sign of him or anyone else.

  “Where is everyone?” I ask, taking his arm and letting him help me down the stairs.

  “They’re already down at the town hall. Clay’s dad asked for some last minute help with set up.”

  “Did you draw straws to see who would get stuck picking me up?” I laugh as he opens the car door.

  “Something like that, Angel,” he whispers under his breath so softly I barely catch it. Brushing past him, I try to ignore the rush of energy that surges over me and focus on setting my mask on the dashboard. Pull it together Emily, it’s just Samil. Grabbing the handle, I try pulling myself into the seat the way I normally would, but the steel boning in the corset makes it impossible. I can hear Samil stifling a laugh, and I narrow my eyes in irritation. I can do this.

  Switching my weight to the other leg, I try again to swing myself in and end up facing the wrong way. Ugh, this is ridiculous! I huff out a frustrated breath. Fine, so I can’t do it myself. Steeling myself, I turn around to face him. He flashes me a half smile.

  “Samil…” I begin, pasting on a big smile. “I can’t climb up there in this corset. I guess I didn’t think this part through. Can you give me a hand?” His smile widens and he laughs softly. Moving closer, his hands encircle my waist and suddenly my feet leave
the ground. I grab his shoulders with a squeak and he chuckles as he sets me on the seat. I feel the heat rising in my cheeks again.

  “I hadn’t realized you’d take me quite so literally,” I joke, swinging my legs into the car and settling back. Samil moves in closer, adjusting my skirt to make sure it won’t get caught in the door. His lips brush against my cheek before he pulls back and carefully closes the door.

  I try to distract myself from the confusing swirl of emotions by grabbing my mask off the dashboard and fastening my seatbelt. Not going to think about his lips… Or that if I’d just turned my head…

  I jump as Samil’s door slams closed, breaking me out of that dangerous train of thought. I take another deep breath and force myself to keep my eyes forward as we pull out and head towards downtown.

  “Are you meeting your date there?” I ask, mentally wanting to smack myself for prying. Samil laughs quietly in response.

  “Em, you are my date. Well, our date,” he finally answers and I swear my cheeks feel like they’re going to burst into flame. Suddenly I wish I’d thought to bring a fan, I could really use it to cool down, and maybe hide behind. His words shouldn’t affect me this way. The Catty Crew made it clear that the guys don’t date, so I don’t know why I thought he would be someone meeting someone there. I’ll blame it on how good he looks tonight. No one looking that good should be without a date.

  “Oh,” I breathe. “I’d assumed I’d be on my own and you guys would be off with your dates. Or at least some of you. So what’s the plan then, or did you guys plan to share me as your date?”

  “It’s your birthday celebration, Em; you’re the center of attention tonight. And we’ve always shared you.” In the dark interior of the car his velvety voice is serious and filled with an unfamiliar heat. I glance over, trying to see his expression, but the shadows make his face unreadable.

  “Oh, right. Of course.” I fumble, not sure how to interpret that. I almost wish one of the other guys had picked me up. It is so much easier to read their moods, whereas Samil's always remain a mystery.

  The streets downtown are full of party goers wearing everything from cheap store bought costumes to outfits that look like they were stolen from a museum. After driving around the block a couple times, Samil manages to grab a parking spot in the public lot at the end of Main Street.